How To Start a Profitable Rabbit Farming Business (Step-by-Step)
Rabbits – furry little friends – are a very good source of income for anyone who knows what they are doing. It only takes a little bit of knowledge in animal care and husbandry, a passion for the right thing, and some dedication and commitment on your part to start making your fast and steady cash from the Rabbit Farming Business.
Rabbits are pretty common in our society today and it shouldn’t be hard for you to get one to rear unlike poultry or fish farming; however, knowing how to breed them so that you do not get frustrated in the process and quit after investing a lot is key.
You might have been a rabbit enthusiast from an early age and might have even reared it for fun or just as a pet but do you know that of what you can do for your rabbit, your rabbit can even do more to keep your pocket happy.
If you have ever had a rabbit as a pet or companion while growing up, then why don’t you start up a rabbit farming business? And even if you are new to rabbitry farming, have you thought about how profitable it can be to start up a business in it?
Income Sources From the Rabbit Farming Business
The reason why this business is so profitable is that the rabbit provides a lot of income from various sources, some of which are listed as you would be seeing below.
1. Meat From Rabbit
Rabbit meat is very popular in some quarters and there are almost no known taboos associated with eating them, meaning you can make a lot in the meat market. A lot of people are lovers of exotic meat and not the regular cow or goat meat that we eat every day. Some would pay generously to buy your rabbits from you. The meat of the rabbit is very rich in protein and other nutrients also; the medicinal side is not something you should worry about. Why not just delve in there and start making money via this business?
1. Skin/Hide From The Rabbitry Farming
Like most furry animals, the skin and hide of a rabbit are equally important, and there is no telling how much you can make from it depending on how large your farm is. If you have enough rabbits for it, you could opt to process their hide and sell it separately from the meat, making even more
3. Rabbit Fecal Matter
The faeces of rabbits are very beneficial to plant growth as they contain a lot of important micro and macronutrients which would fix into the soil. For this reason, a lot of farmers would be glad if you can handle their faeces well, package them, and sell it to them after to use as manure on their farms. Even before your rabbit is slain for meat, you would have made back a lot of the start-up capital in this way.
4. Medical Importance of Rabbits
Rabbits have a very high rate of conversion of feed to meat and this makes their meat mass very much. In the same vein, they also use less of the meals they consume to produce fat which translates to low cholesterol. For this reason, rabbits are highly recommended in diets by medical experts. Congratulations, your rabbit farm just got the endorsement of every doctor.
How To Start a Rabbitry Business
1. Get a Rabbit Farming Business Plan
A business plan is a good way to start your rabbitry business as it would be the template on which you would base everything that you would be doing. Your business plan should be well detailed, containing basic business running pieces such as starting capital, business goals, a list of potential markets, your expected income and a lot of other things. The business plan would help keep you in check and keep your head in the game should any challenges arise.
2. Get Knowledge on Rabbit Care
To be successful in the care of rabbits, you need to get important information to make your ride smoother. This would make sure that your farm runs on little glitches and that you can take care of certain situations on your own. It also informs you about a lot before you go into the business, equipping you with enough to know how to make basic decisions on your farm.
3. Shelter for the Rabbits
In the care of rabbits, housing is one of the most important things for you to consider. Proper housing would go a long way in affecting the welfare and growth of your rabbit. A good rabbit housing system should have a good litter box separated from the feeding area.
A lot of diseases and infections can be gotten by other rabbits from the faeces of an infected one and proper housing would eliminate this kind of occurrence. Proper ventilation, water, and lighting should also be taken into consideration when designing a house for your rabbits.
4. Feeding your Rabbits
Rabbits have a very high feed-to-meat conversion ratio and this would help you save capital while maximizing profits. Rabbits are mainly vegetarian animals and would feed on things such as grasses (elephant grass, shrubs, leaves, herbs), potatoes and the likes.
They also favourite clean water and if you see that your rabbits are not drinking, it would be wise to first check if there are no dirt droppings in their water container or if the container is clean in the first place. Good food would ensure a better growth rate for your rabbit, and that would ensure better sales and profits.
5. Rabbit Reproduction
Rabbits are one of the most productive farm animals that could be reared and this can contribute to the fast increase of your farmland. Normally, after conception, a rabbit would carry their child for 4 – 5 months after which they put to bed. On average, rabbits would produce about 6 – 10 kits at once. Imagine if one of your female rabbits took in twice a year and by how much that would increase your farm. Stunning!
6. Market your Rabbit Farming Business
It is always best to rear male rabbits for their mating with the females and selling for meat when they’re old and mature enough. The females should only be sold when they have started to decline, something you can easily see from their response to mating and the number of kits they produce at once. At this point, you have gained the maximum from them and can even gain more by selling. That’s a double portion of your income for you.
FAQs
You can start with about three or four does (female rabbits), and a buck (male rabbit) or two
Rabbits are in high demand, so you can invest in the business and make returns on investment
China has the largest volume of rabbit meat consumption was China about 925,000 tonnes averagely per annum.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea consume 154,000 tonnes and comes second on the rabbit consumption list
Read Also: How to Start Egg Supply Business in Nigeria
With all of these prospects and a promise of low start-up capital, you can start your own farm today and start earning decently now.